What is the Perfume Project?

This blog is a constantly evolving forum for thoughts on perfume, perfume-making, plants (especially orchids and flora of the Pacific Northwest) and life in general. It started out chronicling the adventures of Olympic Orchids Perfumes, established in July 2010, and has expanded in other directions. A big part of the blog is thinking about the ongoing process of learning and experimentation that leads to new perfumes, the exploration of perfumery materials, the theory and practice of perfume making, the challenges of marketing perfumes and other fragrance products, and random observations on philosophy and society. Spam comments will be marked as such and deleted; any comments that go beyond the boundaries of civil discourse will also be deleted. I am grateful to all of you, the readers, who contribute to the blog by commenting and making this a truly interactive perfume project.

Thursday, June 17, 2021

THE SHAPES AND COLORS OF THE PANDEMIC


The pandemic disrupted a lot of things, including shipping, and the sources from which I get materials for perfume making. Because of delays, I’ve run out of things, and because of unavailabilty of items that I routinely use, I’ve had to improvise. 

The first improvisation occurred when our bottle printer moved to a new location, was shut down for some time, and we ran out of printed bottles for the 30 ml size of some popular fragrances. To keep up with orders, we started putting new labels over the name on existing bottles, and quickly realized that using generic bottles for the 30 ml size, as we had been doing for the 100 ml bottles, would save space that would otherwise be used to store boxes of bottles for less popular fragrances. By customizing all of the bottles, we wouldn’t have to guess about demand and potentially keep things sitting around that we didn't use. We have added the classic picture labels to the back of the 30 ml bottles, so now the appearance of the two sizes matches perfectly. Discontinuing the old flat, rectangular bottles also saves storage space, eliminates the need for more than two types of sprayers, and helps conserve space on our stock shelves. When I have time (good luck with that!), I will post new photos of all of the bottles in all sizes on the website. We are currently using up the old stock, but pretty soon everything will be standardized. 

 


The second surprise came when the clear vials we use for samples became unavailable. The supplier said that they were being used for Covid vaccine, but that doesn’t seem probable. I think it’s more likely that the clear glass was all being used to make a different size and shape of vials for vaccine. Whatever the real story, we could only get amber glass vials with black tops, so we are using those until the clear glass becomes available again. I like the clear glass because the juice inside is visible, but I may stick with the black tops. 

 

Several materials that I use in perfumes have also become unavailable, so as I use up the last of the supply on hand, I’m working on coming up with acceptable substitutes. This is considerably more frustrating than any changes in packaging, but in the end, everything should work out. 

 

During the pandemic, I’ve been wanting more than ever to downsize my chaotic stash of fragrance samples, decants, mini-bottles, and even some full size bottles. To help with that process, I’m offering another batch of surprise packages to five readers of this post. Each package will include a mix of things, probably some junk, but also some potentially valuable items. Of course, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure, so I don’t really know which is which in your eyes, so it will all be there to sift through. Just leave a comment saying that you would like to be included in the drawing, which will happen after we return to Seattle on the 26th. Unfortunately, at present I can only offer shipping within the US. 


[The gratuitous but seasonally-appropriate photos are mine, one of the peonies that got beaten down by the rain, and one of a small fraction of the amazing crop of strawberries from our garden] 

20 comments:

  1. Those peonies and berries look lovely. Supply issues have been insane from everything that I have read. Glad you were able to find some alternatives. I would love to be entered. Thank you!

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    1. Redolent M, both the peonies and the strawberries have been prolific this year. You're entered in the drawing.

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  2. I would love to be entered into the drawing. I also have been pressed to be flexible and creative in the past year. I'm going to have to add "able to improvise all day every day under pressure" on my resume! It's exhausting but also a tiny but exhilarating. Also, sidebar: Those strawberries look amazing!

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    1. Craftily D, sounds like you've made the best of the improvising situation! You're entered in the drawing.

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  3. Peonies grow so fast, once they they get a big drink of rain, lol. Yours are beautiful! Please include me in your generous giveaway, thank you. Peace and Joy!

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  4. Mary, it seems like everything grows incredibly fast. It's like a jungle here! You're entered in the drawing.

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  5. in the construction industry it has also become impossible to find wood and certain metals, i have huge sites that are at a standstill and this is the case everywhere in europe. It becomes very worrying. Should we stop the development ? Anyway...the sun is shining :-)

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    1. Frederic, I think the US construction industry is having similar problems. The sun is shining here, too! You're entered in the drawing.

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  6. I can't wait to have peonies again. Mine didn't bloom last year because the plants around them got too big. I moved them to a less crowded, sunnier spot. Hopefully next year 🙂. Berries of all sorts look like they are going to do well this year. The raspberry and blackberry canes were completely full of flowers!

    I would love to be entered, a whole box of surprises sounds amazing ❤️

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    1. Unknown, we have peonies like that, too. I've been cutting back excess vegetation, but it seems to come back faster than I can eliminate it. We're starting to get raspberries and blueberries now, too. You're entered in the drawing.

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  7. I ordered a sample set from you at least a year ago. I still love your scents! Life certainly has changed. I love the peonies. I cant grow them here but grew up with them in the midwest. Enter me please!

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    1. Audrey, I love peonies, too, but have become superstitious about how their flowers attract rain! You are entered in the drawing.

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  8. Those strawberries look juicy! I've had your perfumes on my to-try list so I would love to be entered in the drawing!

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    1. Snek, the giveaway is mostly other perfumes, not mine, just so you know. You're entered in the drawing.

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  9. Welcome back Ellen! Sorry to hear about your supply chain problems. It seems to be a universal thing a lot of us are experiencing, particularly in the medical field. Necessity is the mother of invention and hopefully something serendipitously wonderful will come out of it.

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    1. Anne, I also hope that something wonderful will come out of all the supply-chain issues. You're entered in the drawing.

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  10. During lockdown we decided to some home renovations. Our local home supply stores had bare shelves and contractors were delaying work for several months because of supply chain issues. So, yes it is a worldwide problem and hopefully it will be resolved soon. It’s a beautiful day and I’m fully vaccinated so I can’t complain.

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    1. Triniti, it's a hot day here (97 degrees F) but it's fairly dry, so not bad. We have a ceiling fan, which is great on a day like today. You're in the drawing!

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  11. ah I hope you can resume shipping outside of the states at some point (ऀืົཽ≀ ͔ ͕̮  ऀืົཽ)✧॰

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  12. Nicholas, we do ship orders to a limited number of countries outside the US. Others are still problematic.

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